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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Plus Sized Fashion - Your Sewing Machine is Your Greatest Ally!

I am sure you all know by now that I'm plus sized. Actually I hate that term. I'm fat. I'm also healthy and confident and body positive - three things that don't go hand-in-hand with weight nearly as often as you may expect. Sure, some days I hate my body - everyone has days. I have made peace with my curves, and that has been one of the most liberating changes of my life (another source of liberation? Did you know that nobody cares if you don't fold your T-shirts or pair your socks? You can just stick them in the drawer and nobody will be the wiser).

One of the drawbacks to being outside the "correct" size box is that great clothes are hard to find, particularly on a budget, and even more so if you don't live in an area that supports shops that cater to a larger size range. I love the idea of thrifted fashion finds, but it rarely happens here in Victoria, where I can count the number of shops with clothes that I a) want to wear, and b) fit into, on one chubby hand.

Long story short: I've taken things into my own hands. Knitting is my favourite method of making clothing, but it is neither practical nor desirable to knit an entire wardrobe. That's where sewing comes in. Most people will tell you that it isn't cheaper to sew for yourself. They haven't tried to buy a decently made dress in a size 22. This dress cost me approximately $24, including notions.

The fabric is a lighter weight decor fabric I got on sale at Ikea. It was a delight to work with, if a little heavy for garment use (but frankly too light for decor. What was it intended for??). The pattern is the BurdaStyle plus size Shakira Dress. This:
It's... really very, very ugly in that lumpy yellow fabric, but it looked like a very versatile basic pattern for $3, and I think it can withstand a lot of modification. There was an enormous amount of ease worked into the pattern - I had to take it in almost four inches from the size recommended for slightly bleow my bust measurement for a comfortable yet flattering fit. However, that means in a drapey fabric it could be made up into an entirely different thing! I love a basic princess seamed A-line and I'll definitely play more with this one.
The whole printing 50 pages and taping them together thing wasn't that bad, surprisingly, and I have a few more printable patterns in mind. And maybe I also bought fabric for them. I haven't done extensive garment sewing for years, because when I dropped out of my fashion design degree program in 2005, I experienced some pretty significant burnout. In fact, I've only just recently become interested in fashion again. I want to sew all the things!
So, do you sew, either in plus sizes or smaller sizes? I'd love to hear your sources for patterns and inspiration!

 

11 comments:

  1. Em!! Your dress looks fantastic!!!! And you look absolutely fantastic in it!!! I love that print!! I've always wanted to buy it, but never did...and to this day I'm still kicking myself for not getting a panel of it! I think Burda should use your photos for this pattern, cause really, that yellow fabric that they used? Hideous and doesn't show the pattern off AT ALL!!!

    I hear you on the burnout. I think fashion school in general does that to you. I graduated what, 6 years ago? The 4 year program bruned me out so bad that it took forever for me to even want to sew! It's only now that I'm starting to build interest in wanting to sew clothing for myself again! So cray cray!

    My only problem with sewing clothing right now is fabric. I can't find anything I want to use for clothing...and I have this thing about using quilting fabrics for clothes...as in, I don't like it. Let me know if you find the mother load of awesome fabric, and I'll do the same!

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    1. Thank you! I love that I got the fabric for $5/m - I was a very happy shopper. The burda pattern pics really are horrendous. It took me ages to convince myself the pattern could ever look good!

      I bought some simple blue-grey shirting and floral voile for tunics, as well as some emerald green jersey for a dress (look! I'm following TRENDS!!) from fabricland. I don't always love their selection, but I was happy this time! There were several fabrics I'd love to go back for. I feel ya on the quilting fabric thing. Love it for home and the occasional accessory, but not really into it for clothes. Unless the print is really amazing and fits the garment perfectly. Which, frankly, is rare.

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  2. That dress is amazing and I want it! I love the fabric and the fit on you, you look so beauitful!

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    1. Thank you my dear! I'm so happy with the fit - it was a bitch to get right, but well worth it.

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  3. ohmygosh em!!! i LOVE love LOOOVE your dress!!! oh i wish i could sew. that is fantastic!!! oh so pretty! but i have such a fear of the sewing machine, so i'm thinking maybe i can knit myself a wardrobe? hah probably not practical. ;) xoxo

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    1. You totally can sew dude. Try working with a nice slow machine that couldn't eat your fingers if it wanted to, and make some pj pants or pillow cases. Then you'll be ready for the big time! Or you could try your hand at hand sewing - that's how I started.

      And if you figure out a way to knit a whole wardrobe, you should totally do it, just to prove a point ;)

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  4. umm... GORGEOUS!!! love the print, and it looks so good on you!

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    1. Thank you! I love the print too - the cityscape bit had little Godzilla monsters attacking, but somehow they all ended up in the waste fabric! sad day :/

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  5. totally gorgeous - dress and you. I only recently got my own sewing machine having LOVED to sew my own clothing 20 years ago as a teenager (and been pretty darn good at it and trained, too). It's easy to loose confidence (in OH-so many areas of life, eh?) but seeing dresses like yours inspires me to give it another go.

    And a lovely new dress gives you something else to match knitted accessories to...

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    1. Thank you! I think sewing is like riding a bicycle - you never truly forget. It takes a little while to tune up the muscle memory and remember more complex techniques, but it's totally still in there. And there are so many "minimalist" patterns that are dead easy to sew!

      And yeah, I'm totally jazzed to knit cute little cardigans that look adorable with dresses :D

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  6. Very nice! You're awesome. I also have some sizing problems - cup G and comparatively small shoulders and fat belly (kind of apple-shaped). You encourage me to try sewing for myself instead of desperate shopping. Thanks!
    By the way, I always buy small and big pieces of cloth in IKEA to make clothes for my kids. It is absolutely beautiful as well as cheap.

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